In the summer of 1994 my hometown hosted the Commonwealth Games. I really got into it – I went to some of the events and some of the other exhibitions that were part of the games, and a friend and I got a little crazy trading pins with anyone we could find. I remember being in awe of those athletes – how hard they had worked and what they were able to accomplish. To me, their experiences seemed like living life in the fullest possible way.

And that’s how I found myself trying out for my university’s rowing team that fall.

It started out as a tiny seed of an idea. I wanted to do something like that. I wanted the awe that comes with being part of something like that. I wanted to push myself and see what I could accomplish.

I have no idea what prompted me to choose rowing. All I remember is that I had souvenirs from the games acting as beacons of inspiration, and a determination I had never before known. Which was fine until I actually got to the tryouts.

I was heading into my third year of school at the time and I had visited the gym on campus sporadically in the two years prior, but I wasn’t in anything close to good shape. Undaunted, I got up at the crack of dawn on the appointed day and made my way down to where the tryouts were held. When I got there I was greeted with a throng of people.

Apparently others had been inspired too. Either that or rowing was just a popular sport. There were 80 or more women there vying for about 10 spots. I’m amazed that I didn’t turn right around and head back to my dorm room.

The tryouts consisted largely of running. I hated running. And I sucked at running. But I ran.

I’ll be honest with you: I thought I was going to die. I’ve done few things as hard as that first run felt, and I dragged myself to the end of it very close to the back of the pack. I was mortified, but at that time I didn’t know enough to let it beat me down. And good thing, too, because I got called back for a second tryout.

The second round, naturally, consisted of more running. I still have a mental picture of being on a tree-lined road far from campus trying desperately to keep up. Or, not to keep up, exactly, because that was laughingly impossible. What I was trying to do was avoid crawling into the bushes and hoping no one noticed until the road was clear and I could crawl home.

But I kept going, and apparently that’s all that mattered.

When the list was posted I sauntered over to look, betraying none of my desperate hope and wearing what I hoped was a facial expression that indicated my full understanding of how ridiculous it was for me to even think I might have made the cut.

And there was my name.

I found out later that one of the things the coaches were looking for was a never-say-die attitude, and I suppose you could say I demonstrated that. (Later still I realized why that was important because, people, rowing is hard.)

With 5 a.m. workouts on the water and dry land training in the afternoons, my lack of fitness quickly disappeared. It was a hard year, though very rewarding, and I got a taste of what it meant to push my body to do something when my brain (and blistered hands) were screaming for me to stop.

And now when I watch the London 2012 Olympic Games and see their “Inspire a generation” slogan, I know that’s just what those athletes are doing.

What could you do if you pushed yourself?

xo

Robin

About Robin

Robin Farr is a mom, a writer, a speaker, and a runner. She's also a postpartum depression survivor who knows what it's like to overcome something hard and find more meaning in life as a result. In addition to momming, blogging, and doing freelance work, Robin works in communications for one of Canada's most-admired companies. Her blog is Farewell Stranger and you can follow her on Twitter at @FarewellStrangr.
Her three words for 2013 are Stretch, Balance, Presence.

6 Comments »

My husband was on the crew team in college. He has some amazing stories to share about the races and you can see how proud he is that he could keep up with that practice schedule. It’s a hard thing to not only make the team but to stay on the team. Good for you!!
We are also watching every bit of the rowing we can during the Olympics too.Kristen recently posted..Invasion of the Bird Kind

[...] I could do if I pushed myself hard enough.I’m sharing that story on Just.Be.Enough today. Come visit and tell me how you’ve pushed yourself past what you thought were your limits.Comments here [...]

You made me want to train for a marathon! Except I don’t want to do that until both kids are in school because of the crazy training time. I feel proud of you just reading this!angela recently posted..Breaking Through Teacher Stagnation

I have always, ALWAYS wanted to try rowing. That was so fun to read! What a wonderful memory. Whenever I push myself in something I really want, I am NEVER disappointed. Good for you for that “go-get-her” attitude Kate F. recently posted..A No-Nap Kinda Day

Always the inspiration and look where else that drive has taken you… School success, career success, speaking success, writing success, mommy success, family success, personal strength success, running success. You get it!